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Monday, April 28, 2014

It's amazing what a closet clean out will re-accquaint you with, especially when you don't actually have a closet.

My clothes are stored in every conceivable place in my apartment: jammed in my dresser, in a storage bench at the end of my bed, nice dresses in the one closet I share, out-of-season clothes in suitcases in said closet, more things packed away in canvas storage under my bed. I've been endlessly editing my wardrobe this year to cut down on what I don't need and make sense of what I have—which is how I happened upon this thrifted skirt again (last seen here).

Since the weather's still not fully cooperating with my spring fantasy, I had to layer it up for a mild weekend downtown, which also meant I was reaching for sneakers instead of heels (sorry I'm not sorry—and no, I'm not over my #sneakerhead phase yet). This skirt was one of the first things I successfully thrifted and felt good about. It looked terrible on the hanger, as many items in thrift stores are wont to do, but my cousin convinced me to put it on and I immediately admired the quirky silhouette and fabric.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Happy Friday! I, for one, am beyond glad the weekend is here—it's been a killer week at work and my body has decided to thank me with a scratchy, sore throat in celebration. No time to let it hold me back as this weekend is becoming increasingly packed with friends in town, SoulCycle classes and another trip to the TriBeCa Film Festival on Sunday to see a ballet documentary.

It seemed time for another installation of Pretty as a Picture...thanks for all the wonderful feedback on the first one! It should surprise no one that my never ending travel bug had me lusting after the beautiful turquoise waters of Venice. I visited for one day when I was in Italy in college, but having grown up rather water-obsessed, I constantly dream of going back. When I think of Venice (and look at the photo above), rich, textured turquoise, greens and blues stand out, and gilded golden details. Venice, despite being a sinking city, has its own undercurrents of luxury running through every canal.

If you have any photos you'd like me to interpret in this series as it develops, please send them my way via e-mail or Twitter!

Monday, April 21, 2014

Confession time: I am a self-professed nail polish junkie. Double confession? I used to be a terrible, horrible, awful nail-biter. One day somewhere in the middle of college, I suddenly stopped cold turkey. A miracle, really, since it's a known fact I have zero willpower. I also found the nicer and more colorful I kept my nails, the less tempted I was to pick at them, and soon a small collection of a dozen or so blah bottles became 30, 40, 50 bottles of resplendent color to satisfy whatever mood I might want to convey with a wave of my hand.

Several summers lifeguarding at my local pool were spent changing colors on breaks with the other girls. More often than not I went up on the stand with one hand painted, the other to be finished later, and too much time like this on all the female guards' hands (pun aside) resulted in a color change every couple of days, along with the added bonus of near-impeccable application skills, which saves me more money than I want to think about on manicures each year.

I don't have nearly so much free time on—or, more accurately for—my hands these days, but when Sally Hansen reached out to see if I wanted to try their Triple Shine polish, I immediately removed my chipping mani and went straight for the blue (duh).

My polish gets changed most often on the weekends or occasionally right before bed. My trick for no smudges at night: I lock my hands together, as though I'm holding my own, as I drift off. I don't move around a whole lot so it usually has a chance to completely dry before I inevitably shift! If I'm not in a rush on weekend mornings, I like to get up, make coffee and eat breakfast (not pictured: French toast to covered in some more berries), catch up on the hundreds of magazines I seem to always have laying around and put on a fresh coat of polish.

Most beauty products claim to have some great aspect to them that others don't, but I always find it's not often enough they can really stand up to the claim. I was ready to layer on a super-shiny topcoat after applying my usual two coats, but stopped for a minute to admire the actual shine this polish really does have. I switched to pink (pictured above) this past weekend and even as I type three days later my nails are still gleaming! Of course, I went ahead with top coat, but only because I'm incredibly hard on my nails, although I'm still looking at minimal chips right now.

Triple Shine comes in 29 different shades of solid, iridescent and glitter-y polish, all available wherever Sally Hansen is sold. Join the conversation on instagram & Twitter by hashtagging #ShineOn #TripleShine or #TurnUpTheShine (and, take a minute to get inspired by some of the incredibly cool self-done nail artists out there...thinking about taking my skills a step further & trying to replicate the Bowery Mural, below, somehow.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Have you ever had a moment with a piece of clothing (or pair of shoes or some other accessory) where you thought, "It will be mine. Oh, yes, it will be mine"? That was me with this yellow jacket—and yes I just made a Wayne's World reference.

I first spotted it on Pinterest and immediately tracked it to Zara online, but knew I'd need to try it on (thanks for the wide shoulders, Mom). Later that night, we had a fateful moment through the window as I passed Zara with Jess and Hallie after SoulCycle. I couldn't admit my obsession then, but the jacket and I made a date for Tuesday and the rest, as they say, is history.

It's been buried in my closet for nearly two months, but the last few beautiful weekends have finally justified its grand arrival and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to shoot it on this quiet street near Washington Square Park. Once I looked at the photos, I realized my look was rather Parisian—which felt appropriate, since across the street from these pics is the Institute of French Studies for NYU! I was so hoping to finally make a trip to the city of light this year, but duty my sister's wedding calls. As of now I'm just testing out my wardrobe for when I do finally get to make the trip—Paris does call for the best version of oneself (c'mon, 2015!).

Monday, April 14, 2014

Today's post comes from a Pinterest "success" story—I discovered artist Amy Sia when someone I followed had re-pinned one of her works; more often than not trying to track the original source of images, even with Google's help, can be frustrating and lead to a lot of dead ends (and more links back to Pinterest). Thankfully this was not one of those cases, and I've since started following Sia on her own Pinterest page (warning: gorgeous images ahead). She designs beautiful, water-color like prints that are available in an abundance of accessories and home goods over on Society 6. I've been eyeing several versions of her pretty, conversation-worthy iPhone cases and colorful scarves (in need of several to jazz up my go-to white t-shirts!). When I finally get around to having my own place, her throw pillows will be the starting point for pops of color.

Check out her Society 6 page to see all her shoppable products, make sure to follow her on Pinterest for STUNNING images (both her own & her incredible eye for re-pinning covetable images) and stop by her website & blog for more info and images of her work—even if you just need a color fix!

Friday, April 11, 2014

I have to let you all in on a little secret—I'm in love. Capital L-O-V-E...with New York City. I can't really tell you when my fascination began, since I don't even really know what prompted me to move here, but after nearly three years I've discovered a deep love for not only the hidden secrets and beauty of present-day NYC, but an appreciation for its past. There's rarely a day I don't pass an old building or notice a unique architectural detail and wonder about the history of the property. It's amazing and completely mind-blowing to think about the millions of people who have walked these streets before you!

If you're interested in learning some of the crazy, unique things about New York City's history, a few of my favorite blogs that post regular updates are: Vanishing New York, Ephemeral New York, Forgotten NY and Lost New York City. And, if we ever meet in person, I'd be more than happy to share with you some of the secrets I've learned—many of my favorites are about the NYC subway system, including a recently-discovered abandoned station down near the Bowery.

P.S. I'm thinking about starting an NYC guide of some of my favorite places to eat, shop and visit around the city—sound off in the comments below if you have thoughts or suggestions!

Friday, April 4, 2014

Ahh, sunshine! It *seems* like spring is finally starting to poke its head from the bunker it's been stashed away in, but I'd rather not gush too much for fear of jinxing any hope we have of ever putting our coats and jackets into storage.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

I don't know what it is about open shelving, but I feel like it gets me. OK, fine I think I do know—I like being able to see what's available to me and having it comfortably within my reach when I want it (kind of like my clothes, but currently....#nocloset). As much of an interiors junkie as I can be, I really appreciate a home that's well designed, functional and looks like you could actually LIVE in it. I've never grasped the concept of a beautifully designed room...in which you are to touch nothing, sit on nothing, use nothing.

There's something particularly inviting about open shelving, where its residents beg for you to make introductions with all your friends during a dinner party, or jars on jars of ingredients tempt you to stay home and get a little messy in the kitchen, don't you think?